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Moustakas, Hosmer feeling good this spring

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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are old pals with adjacent lockers and, after both whacked home runs in Saturday's 9-5 victory over a Giants split-squad, they conducted a dual interview in the Royals' clubhouse.

Appropriate. The infield corners who both came up during the 2011 season are, like their 8-0-1 team, burning up the Cactus League. Moustakas is hitting .563 and Hosmer, after a 3-for-3 day, is at .471.

"It's still early in spring, I'm still trying to find things here and there, tweaking with it," Moustakas told reporters, "but, yeah, we're playing good as a team and everything's rolling pretty good so far."

While Hosmer put stuff in his locker, Moustakas was asked about his buddy's hitting.

"You guys are watching it. It's pretty fantastic right now. When Hoz gets three hits, all to the left side of the diamond and one going out, that's a good sign for the Kansas City Royals," Moustakas said.

That true, Hoz?

"Well, maybe," Hosmer said. "That's the side of the field I want to stay on and, like Moose said, it's still early in the spring and the results honestly don't matter at this point. It's just based off feel, and the results were there and the feel was there, so it was a good day."

And, yes, it does feel different than last year when he struggled.

"Yeah, I'm laying off pitches I was swinging at last year and, for me, that's the biggest part," Hosmer said. "The discipline's there and I'm seeing the ball well and, for Spring Training, that's all you can ask for."

Hosmer also showed his opposite-field power.

"He's really balanced, his swing is shortened up to where he can drive balls," manager Ned Yost said. "He drove that last ball well over the left-field fence, and those doubles were smoked."

Hosmer, who now has a club-high seven RBIs, was wearing a black T-shirt that read: "Destroying ERAs since 1998."